3d Printing for Location Sound ‘Database’

I remember around 2010, tech journalists predicted that around 2020 everybody would have a 3D printer at home, just as normal it would be as having a normal (paper) printer. Well, I think it is safe to say that is not exactly the case, but price wise there shouldn’t really be an excuse not to, since one could buy a good one these days for a reasonable price.

One could debate about necessity, but for sure it can come in quite handy to quickly print something to replace what is broken, or to fit a specific item that is not so common, or simply doesn’t exist. Also, in our field of work, we are often confronted with what I call AV tax, a markup on the price, all with good reasons for the most part (because there are just a few of us, developing, manufacturing, and selling fewer items just cost more, economics 101), so if you print disposable items yourself, you might earn your printer purchase back very quickly. The plastics/material (filament in jargon) can be more than sturdy enough for daily abuse. Tests and real world examples have proven.

The database

One could design an object from scratch, or download one and print it (andmodify the downloaded part if necessary). Our goal here is to make a database of all files floating around on internet, particularly interesting for location sound use. So this post will grow overtime, when we find new objects to be listed. Also, if you found or made something of interest, please leave a comment to we can put it in the list.

AA Battery Storage Holder

Rycote Lyre Shock Mount

Plastic piece for a Rycote Lyre Shock Mount for The Rode VideoMicro microphone. I had mine about 2 days before my 7 year old broke mine, so I designed up a new one and printed it out. It worked fine, until I broke the second one. So Rev A was thickened up a little bit. Maybe it’ll last a little longer now.

Sennheiser EW 100 ENG beltpack bracket

Improved replacement or additional baseplate for Sennheiser EW100 beltpack receiver/transmitter. This baseplate is similar to the Sennheiser EW100 quick release plate. See the differences and similarities in the pictures: The left one is an original genuine Sennheiser bracket and the right one is a 3D printed redesigned clipon as to be found in the download section.
To be printed with 25% fill, 3 shells, 0,1mm filament layer height, without raft or supports. Custom holes can be drilled if you print this with 100% fill. More versions of this bracket will be uploaded later.

Microphone Cable build fixture

Boom Pole Clip

This is an XLR cable clip for a microphone boom pole. It’s used to secure the cable to the boom pole so that it doesn’t dangle around and make noise when recording.
There are three different files. They start smaller and get larger to accommodate the diameter of the boom pole. The one that I have has a three section telescoping rod system, which is why three different diameters are needed.
The cable end of the clip fits a standard 6mm wide XLR cable. The width of the part of the clip will vary based on which boom pole you’re using and the size of it, but these are the three that worked for me.